ADHD Awareness: Does ADHD Have You Dancing to the Wrong Tune?

October is ADHD Awareness Month. Armed with recent information about ADHD and research-supported practices, life can be better for you and those you know with ADHD. Certified ADHD life coach, Cheryl Gigler, shares on ADHD and dancing to your own tune.

ADHD Awareness

You may have seen the recent film, “Book Club.” There is a scene where Carol, played by Mary Steenburgen, is all set to perform her tap dance routine. To her great surprise, instead of her own music chiming in, she hears the music of Meatloaf! She endures, tapping her heart out, trying to make her tap routine fit music that is not her own!

Sound familiar?

Many adults with ADHD try so hard to fit into the world around them—the neuro-typical world. It’s like pounding a square peg into a round hole. You may be someone who has ten planners around the house that you never use, or who keeps lists everywhere on shreds of paper. You may spend way more time at work than your peers, just trying to catch up on the workload. As a parent of a child with ADHD, you may have struggled hard to find the right treatment plan. You may be the parent spending hours doing daily homework with your child, a chore often accompanied by stress, frustration, and meltdowns.

Consider another approach

What if, instead of dancing to the wrong music, you started dancing to your own music? What if you knew how to fit the world to you instead of the other way around? What if you had tools and strategies that were in keeping with your own unique brain wiring? What if you were in community with others who truly understood ADHD?

What if you had a planner that you liked and that really worked for you, one that reflected your own unique ADHD brain? What if you knew how to set up your job workspace in a such a way that it complemented your learning style or sensory preferences?

What if your child received accommodations that leveled the playing field, allowing him to lessen his workload or have extra time for tests? What if you had an accurate diagnosis, with medication that helped with inattention or hyperactivity, that allowed you to focus for the first time?

What gets in the way for you? More importantly, what can you do about it?

Learn some new steps

The first step might be to know that it is OK to do life differently than others. Next, you need to know what you need, so you can ask for what you need. Finally, you can learn how to maximize your own personal strengths to minimize the challenges of ADHD. People with ADHD will get over the finish line, just like anyone else, though they may do it on their own time table and in their own unique way.

Teach others to dance, the ADHD way

Sadly, there is still stigma, misinformation, as well as a lack of understanding regarding ADHD. Many times, it’s right within our own families. Once you know how to dance to your own music, you can show others the way.

The theme of this year’s ADHD awareness month is “Setting the Record Straight.” ADD Joy of Life Coaching, LLC, joins with ADHD Awareness Month to promote advocacy and sound treatment for children, young adults, and adults with ADHD. Find your voice and speak up today! Together, we can “Set the Record Straight.”